According to new research, consuming a mixture of eight good, or "probiotic," bacteria reduces symptoms in patients with the illness.
Ulcerative colitis is a severe inflammatory disease of the colon that often produces bloody diarrhea and is associated with an increased risk of colon cancer.
Co-investigator Dr. Richard N. Fedorak, from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and colleagues detail their procedures in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
The researchers enrolled 34 patients with active ulcerative colitis who were treated with VSL#3, "priobotic" treatment, twice daily for 6 weeks.
Remission occurred in 53 percent of the patients and an additional 24 percent experienced some degree of improvement in symptoms.
